Ask a Tech: All Your Bandwidth Questions Answered

Bandwidth is something that a lot of people have a baseline level of understanding of, but not much else. Today, we wanted to address some of the most frequently asked questions that business owners have about their bandwidth, specifically network bandwidth, and what it means for running your company and business technology most effectively.

What is Bandwidth?

Bandwidth is the maximum data transfer rate for your network or Internet connection. Basically, it’s the amount of data that can be transferred on the network at any individual moment. While bandwidth can be applied to both your network and your Internet connection, they do similar, yet different things from your network’s perspective.

How is Your Bandwidth Measured?

Bandwidth is measured in bits per second, or bps, with other units being kilobits per second (Kbps), megabits per second (Mbps), and gigabits per second (Gbps). 

How Much Bandwidth Do You Really Need?

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as no two businesses are identical with the same needs. You’ll have to do a little bit of research and analysis for your network to determine what your different levels of staffing, different types of devices, different services, different Internet needs, and so on, will require of your bandwidth.

A good catch-all answer, however, is that you should have enough bandwidth to support your company’s operations with maximum efficiency with little-to-no downtime. A network audit will help you make the best decisions possible for your bandwidth needs.

How Can You Increase Your Bandwidth?

You can increase your bandwidth in two ways. First, you could try to purchase more powerful hardware that allows for greater data transfer. You could look at better cables, switches, and routers for transferring data, or you could change the type of connection from a wireless to a wired connection. Alternatively, you could look to your current network and find inefficiencies that need to be addressed. Even slight bottlenecks and congestion can make all the difference in your network health.

As for your Internet connection, that’s not something we can help you with. This will require you to contact your Internet service provider. Alternatively, you could look into different routers, network switches, and so on that could help you get the most out of your current Internet plan. We can help you get the best value out of your technology investments in this regard.

SCW can help your team make the most of its technological assets. To learn more, call us today at (509) 534-1530.